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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

C. BRANDAU.

- AUTOMATIC GAR BRAKE. No. 546,808. Patented Sept. 24, 1895.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

C. BRANDAU. AUTOMATIC GAR BRAKE: No. 546,808. 'Patented'Sept; 24, 1895.

\ H v i .5 as i V Inverifiorx (f6. z/vzz ga gji K467 0! TATES CHRISTINA BRANDAUQ OF COHOES, NEW YORK, ASSI GNOR OF ONE-FOURTH TO FRANK P. HIGBY, OF SAME PLACE.

CAR-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters latent No. 546,808, dated September 24, 1895.

Application filed July 10, 1895 T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHRISTINA BRANDAU, a citizen of the United States, residing at Gohoes, in' the countyof Albany and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Gar-Brakes; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in automatic brakes for street-railway or other cars, and the object of the invention is to produce a safetybrake which can be applied in an emergency instantaneously, as where the car equipped with my improved brake comes in contact with an obstruction on the track.

The invention consists, further, in providing a brake-shoe infseveral sections, one of which is hollow and is provided with an automatically-operating slide for allowing emery, sand, or othermaterial'which is contained within said hollow section to drop on the track as the brake is crowded'between the circumference of the wheel and the track.

To these ends and to such others as the invention may pertain the same consists, further, in the novel construction, combination, and adaptation of the parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, and then specifically defined in the appended claims.

I clearly illustrate my invention'in the accompanying drawings, which, with the letters of reference marked thereon, form apart of this specification, and in which'similar letters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views, in which- 7 Figure 1 is a bottom view'of the bottomof the truck and the brake mechanism. Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation. Fig. 3 is a front end View; Fig. 4, an enlarged detail view of the sectional brake-shoe. Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal section of the brake-shoe upon an enlarged scale.

Reference now being had to the details of the drawings by letter, A designates the floor vided to Serial no; 555,555. (No model.)

of a car, carrying the truck B, and journaled in the bearings G of the truckis the shaft D, and E are collars keyed to said shaft and having the integral arms '01, between which one end of the wheel-engaging brake-shoe F is pivoted. The said brake-shoe is provided with'a flange f, and the integral extended portion G has an eye g, to which is pivoted the member H, the latter being hollow for the reception of emery, sand, 0r anyother suitable substance which may beautomatically fed upon the track as the brakes are applied by the slide h coming in contact with the track, which allows the material to pour out on the trackthrough the aperture'i as the slide is crowded up.

' Pivoted to a collar K on the shaft D is a rod k,which has its front end secured to a pin is on the under surface of the Wheel L, which is keyed tothe shaft M, the latter being jonrnaled-vertically in the bearings m in the frame m, the'upper end of said shaft carrying a hand-wheel M within convenient reach of the operator of the car. The upper surface of the saidwheel has a spirally-inclined face'and has its highest surface terminating abruptly, as seen at n, thus forming the shoulder against which the dog 0 is adapted to normally engage to hold the brake open or away from the track and wheel. This dog'is pivoted outer end is pivoted the foot push-rod O.

R is a spring-rod secured to the side of the platform of the car and having its free end passing through the end ofthe dog 0, prohold the free end of said dog against the shoulder at.

S are rods secured at their rear ends to the sides of the truck or platform, their forward ends curving downwardly and terminating in the loops 7", in which the ends of the cross-bars T engage.

U are links engaging at one end the springrod R and with their other ends one of the cross-bars T, these cross-bars being providedv to present themselves as a fender, and any object coming in contact therewith will cause the said rods R to arch upward in such a way as to release the pawl from the notched disk, and also cause the said curved springarms S to yield, the dog engaging with the to theinember P, and near its shoulder 011 the wheel L to be tilted to allow the shoes to fall by gravity on the track and wedge between the track and the circumference of the wheel.

The operation of the brakes is as follows: The operator turns the hand-wheel to the right, causing the wheel L to make a partial revolution until the end of the dog comes against the shoulder at, the brake-shoes are drawn away from the wheels by means of the rods connected therewith, and the brakes are held open. When it is desired to apply the brakes, the operator simply steps on the pushrod 0', which releases the dog from engagement with the said shoulder, and the weight of the shoes causes the said wheel to turn and the two sections of the shoe to drop by gravity, the wheel-engaging section F to securely clamp the wheel and to be wedged between the wheel and the track-engaging por tion II, which crowds against the said wheelengagingportion as it slides along onthe track, with the emery or sand running on the rails from the hollow interior of the said section II, which is provided with its automatically-opcrating slide, allowing the sand to escape while the brake is on and to check its flow when the brake is off.

The arrangement and operation of the valve and its connecting-levers whereby the outlet for the sand from the hollow interior of the track brake-shoe is automatically controlled will be readily understood upon reference to Fig. 5 of the accompanying drawings. It will be seen that the slide or valve which controls the sand-outlet q: is pivotally attached to one end of a lever 'L", which link or lever is in turn pivoted to the tilting lever-arm 71 to which is attached the arm or projection h, which normally extends through an opening in the bottom of the shoe, and while thus projecting through said opening serves to hold the slide closed over the sand-outlet passage. \Vhcn, however, the brake is applied and the shoe is thrown into contact with the track, the extending end of the arm or projection his by its contact with the track forced inward, thus operating the outlet slide or valve through the medium of the connecting-levers 2" and 2' It will also be understood that when the brake is released the projection h will, by gravity, return to its seat, thus serving to close the sand-outlet passage.

The brake is also set automatically by means of the fender described coming in contact with an obstruction on the track, as the spring-actuated dog has connection with the fender and any slight pressure on the same will cause the dog to tilt and the brake-shoes to fall and engage the wheels.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim to be new, and desire to secure by Lettcrs Patent, is-

1. In a car brake, the combination of a sectional gravity brake shoe journaled on a shaft which has connection with a wheel whose upper surface is spirally inclined and terminates in a shoulder designed to be engaged by a dog, and means for releasing the said dog, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a brake for railway cars, the combination of the sectional shoe, mounted on a suitable shaft, a rod connecting the said shaft with a wheel having its upper surface spirally inclined, of the spring actuated dog adapted to engage a shoulder on the said spiral surface, and a push rod pivoted to the said dog, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a car brake, the combination of the sectional shoe mounted on a rocking shaft, a collar on said shaft having connection by any suitable means with a wheel having a spirally inclined upper surface, and mounted on a vertical shaft provided with a hand wheel, of a spring actuated dog pivoted to a portion of the car, and adapted to engage with a shoulder on the inclined surface of said wheel, and a push rod pivoted to the dog, whereby the brakes are set by gravity when dog releases the said wheel, substantially as shown and described.

4. In a brake for cars, the combination of the sectional brake shoe, mounted on a rock shaft, collar on said rock shaft, a rod connected to said collar at one end, its other end eccentrically pivoted to the under surface of the wheel L, which is keyed to the vertical shaft M, the dog 0 pivoted to an upright post, the push rod pivoted to the dog, and the spring rod R, having its rear end secured to the side of the car or truck, its forward end engaging the outer end of the said dog, and of suitable connection with a fender, substantially as shown and described.

5. In combination with the brake mechanism as described, adaptcd to beset by gravity, when released by the dog 0, the fender which is yieldingly secured to the end of a car, and has connection with the outer end of the spring actuated dog, substantially as shown and de* scribed.

6. In combination with a car brake, as described, the fender consisting of the downwardly curved rods S secured at their rear ends to the side of the car truck,thcir forward ends terminating in loops carrying the cross bars T, and the link U, connecting a cross bar with the spring rod R, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. The improved brake shoe made up of the wheel engaging portion F, having a flange f, and pivoted to a collar E, combined with the section II pivoted to an integral portion of the said wheel engaging section, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

8. As an improved article of manufacture, a brake shoe, which is adapted to hold emery, sand or other substance, which is designed to be automatically fed upon the track, as the brake is applied, substantially as shown and described.

9. The improved brake shoe made up of sections, consisting of the flanged wheel engaging section to which is pivoted a track engaging too section designed to hold sand, emery or other material, which is designed to be automatically fed upon the track, as the brake is applied substantially as shown and described.

10. The improved sectional brake shoe consisting of the wheel engaging section, the hollow sand carrying section pivoted thereto, and the slide it normally closing the outlet for the sand, but when the brake is applied, to slide up and allow the sand to escape, all substantially as shown and described.

11. A brake shoe for cars, made up of the section F, designed to engage with the wheel, 

